Dozer
In the Tail of a Comet (Man’s Ruin)
by Brian Varney
Kyuss are The Velvet Underground. I don’t mean they sound like them; I’m talking about that famous quote attributed to Brian Eno, I think, on the liner notes of the live ’69 album, the line where he says “only a thousand people bought a Velvet Underground album, but they all formed their own bands.” This is the influence Kyuss has had upon this generation of rock fans. Underexposed and underappreciated in their time, their name is now spoken with a reverence reserved for the greats, and their sound is the obvious influence for many a so-called “stoner” band. If you’re going to get anywhere near this music, you’ll feel Kyuss’ breath on your neck.
That’s not to say that Dozer is bad; far from it. In fact, I rather enjoy this record. Gritty and primitive, their songs aim for the heavens while dragging themselves through the dirt. They’ve got great slabs of fuzzy riff thunder and a stupendous singer whose hard, physical phrasing brings John Garcia to mind even though they don’t sound much alike. And, most importantly, they’ve got that thud. For it is the thud which will save us all.
(610 22nd St. #302 San Francisco, CA 94107)